Sophie Brendel joined the V&A in 2016 as the institution’s director of marketing and communications. “The V&A has ambitious plans for the years ahead, not least in expanding the museum’s reach and enhancing its reputation as we expand into new areas of activity and into new buildings, both in the UK and overseas,” said V&A deputy director and chief operating officer Tim Reeve.
“Sophie’s breadth of experience, not least at the forefront of digital communications at the BBC, comes at the perfect moment for the V&A,” he added. Brendel now serves as the museum’s director of audiences, commercial and digital. In this role, she is responsible for building the V&A’s reach, brand and commercial income, and placing the visitor at the heart of the V&A.
She leads the marketing, communications, digital, front of house, retail, catering, ecommerce and brand licensing departments across the V&A’s expanding family of museums. These include the V&A in South Kensington, Young V&A in Bethnal Green, V&A East in Stratford, Scotland’s V&A Dundee, and the V&A Gallery in Shenzhen, China.
Prior to joining the V&A, Sophie held several senior roles at the BBC and Thomson Reuters in the UK and US. As head of digital communications at the BBC, she was responsible for the communications strategy, and all media relations and publicity, for the BBC’s digital, technology and innovation services, as well as the company’s corporate websites, blogs and social media activity. She previously worked as the BBC’s head of digital engagement and head of strategic communications.
Brendel sits on a number of boards, including the London Tourism Recovery Board, which was established during the Covid-19 pandemic. She also sits on the board of the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair and is a regular industry speaker and awards judge. She specialises in strategy, operational leadership, marketing, communications, digital content, broadcast, events, product innovation, business transformation and issues management.